Kid Line shines as Canadiens get first win of season

Canadiens 4, Flyers 1

Vincent Lecavalier #40 of the Philadelphia Flyers (not pictured) shoots the puck past Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens to score during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on Oct. 5, 2013 in Montreal. The Canadiens defeated the Flyers 4-1.

Photograph by: Richard Wolowicz
, Getty Images

The skinny: The Kid Line — that’s Lars Eller and wingmen Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher — had another big night, scoring two third-period goals as the Canadiens defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 Saturday night at the Bell Centre.

Growing up fast: Coach Michel Therrien has been bringing the kids along slowly but they have been making an argument for more ice time. Eller scored his third goal of the season at the 12-second mark of the third period to give Montreal a 2-0 cushion. Ray Emery made the save on Brendan Gallagher’s shot off the rush, but Eller went to the net and scored on a backhander off the rebound. Gallagher made it 3-0 at the five-minute mark when he tapped in a pass from Galchenyuk with the Canadiens enjoying a 5-on-3 advantage. The line combined for 11 of Montreal’s 34 shots.

Gio sticks with it: Captain Brian Gionta opened the scoring at 8:10 of the first period after Rene Bourque came from behind the net and sent a pass through the crease. Gionta’s initial shot struck Mark Streit’s skate, but Gionta connected on the rebound. Bourque added an insurance goal in the final minute with Gionta and Eller adding assists.

Return of the native: Vincent Lecavalier, the pride of Ile Bizard, was booed each time he touched the puck. That was the fans’ way of showing their disappointment that Lecavalier didn’t sign with the Canadiens after Tampa Bay bought him out this summer. “I can understand how he feels because I was that guy,” said Brière. “The fans here are great and it’s better to have them on your side.” Lecavalier provided one of the few bright spots for the Flyers when he scored a power-play goal at 9:13 of the third period to spoil Carey Price’s shutout bid. Price stopped 22 shots while Emery stopped 31.

Brière trying too hard? Daniel Brière was probably happy to get this game out of the way. He was facing his former teammates for the first time since the Flyers bought him out and he struggled. He took two penalties, failed to get a shot on net and won only three of his 10 faceoffs.

Breaking good: The Canadiens received a break late in the first period when Price failed to handle a high shot and left a rebound in front. Matt Read put the puck in the net but the goal was disallowed because the referee lost sight of the puck when it was the crook of Price’s arm and blew the play dead.

Debut for Bournival: Shawinigan native Michael Bournival made his NHL debut after Max Pacioretty was scratched with a wrist injury. Bournival was limited to 6:08, seeing action on the on the fourth line. He had a shot, blocked a shot and won two of three faceoffs.

What’s next: The Canadiens practice in Brossard before leaving for a four-game trip to Western Canada. They play in Calgary Wednesday, Edmonton Thursday and Vancouver Saturday before wrapping up the trip in Winnipeg on Oct. 15.

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Vincent Lecavalier #40 of the Philadelphia Flyers (not pictured) shoots the puck past Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens to score during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on Oct. 5, 2013 in Montreal. The Canadiens defeated the Flyers 4-1.

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